Weeping Willow On Hold Until Further Notice
by T.L
Summary: Willow wakes up in a strange school, with no memory of her past there. Will she be able to remember it all in time? Will she be able to trust those who call themselves friend?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in the following story. They all belong to the very talented J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter 1

Willow opened her eyes, seeing a high, starch-white ceiling above her. She tried to get up, into a sitting position, but a firm hand held her down.

"You need your rest," said a strangely familiar voice. She looked around and saw a very old man, with a long silver beard, and even longer hair. On the other side of the bed she was lying in, Willow could see a young handsome man with brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing black robes, with a crest sporting a badger sewn on the front. His eyes were hollow, his skin colorless. It was obvious he had done a great deal of worrying recently.

"Where am I?" Willow could hear herself ask. Her voice was strange, new. "How did I get here?"

"Oh thank goodness she's okay," said the young man, sinking to his knees and gripping Willow's hand.

"You're in the hospital wing of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Do you know your name?" said the old man.

"Yes. My name is Willow Turner. Witchcraft? Where are my parents?" Willow was starting to panic.

"Shh. You need to answer my questions first," said the old man. "Now, what's the last thing you remember?"

Willow thought. "The last thing I remember is playing in my backyard. My mum called me into the kitchen, and then I woke up here." The old man nodded slowly.

"And how old were you?" he asked. Willow was getting very confused.

"Eleven years old. I remember, because I was playing with a toy I got for my birthday."

"You don't remember anything since then?" Willow shook her head. She realized she was no long eleven. Her voice was more mature; her toes were brushing against the end of the bed. But she thought. The only things she could remember were random, fuzzy snippets of memory. A train whistle, moving paintings, and a strange saying….

"I remember…nothing in detail. And a saying…_draco dormiens nunquam titillandus_. That's about it." Both the men looked at each other, both wearing an expression of mixed happiness and anxiety.

"What? What is it?" Willow asked. The old man opened his mouth and began to tell her a fantastical tale –- her past.

That day, the last day she could remember, when Willow's mother called her into the kitchen, it was to give her a letter, a letter telling her she was accepted into the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Willow's mother, Scarlet Turner, was a witch from a pureblood family, who fell in love with a Muggle actor, Xavier Turner, Willow's father. Her mother was very proud of Willow, her only child. Willow was determined to come to the school, and make her mark. Her mother had been a great witch, and the pride of all her teachers, and Willow wanted to carry on the tradition. She excelled in all of her classes, and made friends with everyone.

She was the smart, popular girl the first two years, but the summer after her second year, both her parents died in a car accident that only she survived. Being an only child, she was suddenly all alone in the world. Ron, Fred, and George Weasley, her best friends, convinced their parents to let Willow stay at the Burrow. She was welcomed into the Weasley family with open arms and sympathetic ears, and yet, Willow couldn't help but feel guilty. She should have died with her parents, and she started to come up with absurd excuses of how she could have prevented the car crash. She started having "episodes" and Madame Pomfrey -- the school nurse – diagnosed her with clinical depression. Halfway through her third year, she began cutting – they found her scars while she was in her coma. She had only gotten worse, loosing interest for school and friends. And then, at the beginning of December of her fourth year, she reached a new low.

"This is Cedric Diggory," said the old man, gesturing toward the younger one. "He found you."

"Found me?"

"Yes. He found your body on the ground outside the school. As best as we can figure…" he trailed off.

"Yes? What is it?" Willow was panicking again.

"As best we can figure, you jumped. Probably from a third or fourth floor window. We found the word 'Goodbye' written on your palm in black ink."

No sooner had these words left his mouth, when Willow was hit with such an intense and overwhelming headache, she let out a scream. She felt like her head was about to explode. But with this headache, visions and pictures, came. She could remember pain, blood, and crying. She could faintly remember walking through dim, cold hallways. Suddenly she was standing on a windowsill, and everything went black.

Her headache left her as quickly as it had come. She pulled her hand away from her head, and gasped. It was connected to a wrist crisscrossed and patterned with scars. She looked at both arms. They were both covered with cuts, some old and faint, some new and just scabbing. The sight was ghastly. Almost too painful to take in. Willow started to cry.

The old man took her arms, and placed them at her sides, and when he spoke his voice was calm and understanding.

"As you did fall quite a ways, and you don't remember anything, Madame Pomfrey is sure you have amnesia. But it seems it's only for your time here at Hogwarts. In which case, I shall need to fill in some of the blanks. My name is Albus Dumbledore. I am headmaster at this school. You are the house of Gryffindor, where the brave dwell. You are a chaser on the Quidditch team, although Captain Wood had to put you on the reserve team when you stopped coming to practice, and Captain Johnson had made no move to put you back on the team since she became captain.

"Harry Potter, Ron, Fred, and George Weasley, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini have been to see you. You have been in a coma for almost a week. You are fourteen years old. You will need to be checked by Madame Pomfrey, and if she says so, you are free to go. We'll have Mr. Diggory escort you back to the Gryffindor common room. Rom there, I'm sure you're friends and fellow students will help you as best they can."

Willow nodded, absorbing all this information. But she had just one last question for Albus Dumbledore.

"Uhm, sir? Mr. Dumbledore?"

"Call me Professor."

"Professor…. Is there any way you can make these scars disappear?"

Professor Dumbledore just chuckled, shook his old head and said, "Not until you remember."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the following story. They all belong to the very talented J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter 2

Willow had been dismissed from the infirmary the next night. Cedric Diggory arrived to walk her back to the Gryffindor common room, but Willow seemed to already know where it was. More then once she corrected Cedric on which direction to turn or which corridor to take. Soon, she found herself outside the secret entrance to the Gryffindor tower, disguised as a painting of a heavyset woman in a pink dress.

"Good to see you again, Willow," said the painting before it swung open. Willow jumped at the voice. She was about to step into the room, when Cedric pulled her aside.

"I was really worried about you, Willow. But I'm really happy you're okay," he said, an embarrassed grin on his face, and a sparkle in his eye Willow had seen before. She put her hand on his arm, and smiled at him.

"Thank you, Cedric. For everything. I'm sorry I made you worry," Willow said, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He turned beet red, and Willow stepped through the portrait hole. The painting had barely swung shut when the entire room turned to face her. Some gasped. Nobody rushed forward. Nobody moved at all. Willow could feel herself began to blush. She smiled awkwardly.

"Hi," was all she could manage before the room erupted with sudden movement and noise. More then half the room rushed forward at once engulfing Willow in a flurry of arms and robes. So many people hugged her, kissed her, and shook her hand it was amazing. It was as if a sudden party had sprung up. Everyone was shouting and whistling.

Soon the crowd dispersed and Willow saw three people who hadn't moved from their spots by the fire. A boy with messy black hair and glasses sat on a couch with another boy, who had shaggy red hair and a multitude of freckles. A girl with bushy brown hair was on her knees next to the low table, her back to the fire. All stared at Willow with wide eyes and bewildered expressions. After a moment, the two boys rushed forward, taking turns hugging her.

"It's great to have you back, Will!" said the red haired boy, a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Yeah! We were so worried!" exclaimed the other boy. They turned around to the girl, who was now crying.

"C'mon Hermione! Will's back!"

The girl crossed the room in three, wide strides, and wrapped her arms around Willow.

"Oh Will…"she whispered. She pulled away, wiping her tears on her sleeve. They all stood there, looking as if they expected something from Willow.

"I'm sorry," she began. "I know this is going to sound weird, but…I don't know who you all are."

"Oh, we know," said the redhead. Then, spotting Willow's quizzical expression, said, "Er, that is, Madame Pomfrey told us you would probably have amnesia. So we're prepared to fill you in on your life.

"My name is Ron Weasley. This is Harry Potter, and Hermione Granger. I'm your best friend. You and Harry used to date, but broke up…for some reason –" he gave Harry a sideways glance, but Harry had suddenly become very interested in his shoelaces "—You and Hormone are competitors in class. Fred and George – my twin brothers – are also your best friends and have a HUGE crush on you, but they think it's some big secret. Hormone can show you were you're dormitory, bed, trunk, excetera are. You have all of your classes with me, so I'll help you find all those. You'll learn you're way around in no time.

"We'll also need to get you on a broomstick as soon as possible and back on the Quidditch team. Angelina will be so glad you're back! The team needs you. Period. Anything I left out?" he asked Harry and Hermione.

"Uh yeah! Her band!"

Ron clapped his hand to his head. "Of course! You're in a band."

"I got that," said Willow. "Care to elaborate?"

"Well your band is called Electric Witch. It's you, Corey Hennessey, Billy Randall, and Lydia Vanderbrook. Corey's on drums, Billy on guitar, Lydia on keyboard and you're on bass and vocals."

"You're band rocks out loud," said a boy passing by. Willow smiled weakly at him, and went up the stairs.

"Dean's right," said Ron. "Your band does rock out loud. They probably miss you loads."

"WILL!" Willow heard two voices shout her name, and before she could turn around, two strong, tall bodies engulfed her. When they pulled away, she saw two men, older then her by about a year, with matching red hair and big, brown eyes. They were grinning foolishly.

"Hi. Fred and George I take it?"

"I'm Fred –" said the one on the right.

" – And I'm George," said the one on the left.

"I think I speak for both of us when I say we're so happy you're back Willow. We missed you a lot," said Fred. George nodded enthusiastically. Willow blushed. She thought the twins were adorable.

"Have you told Angelina she's back?" George asked Ron. Fred continued to smile at Willow.

"No, she was asleep when Willow got back."

"Hey, it's getting kind of late," said Harry. Willow glanced at him. If she didn't know better, she could've sworn Harry was scowling at Fred. "Hermione, maybe you should take Willow to bed." Hermione nodded, and before Willow could protest, she grabbed her arm and dragged her up the steps to the girl's dormitory.

"This is our dorm. We share it with three other girls. This is my bed. That's yours. That's your trunk. All your things should be in it," she said it all in a very steely tone.

"Hermione? Is there something wrong?" Willow asked, stepping toward her.

Hermione jumped out of Willow's grasp. " You scared the shit out of us Willow. We were sure you were going to die, or never wake up. Why the hell did you do it?" Her eyes were wide and full of anger.

"Hermione…I'm…I'm sorry. I don't know why I did it…" Willow started.

"Oh that's right. The amnesia. Just go to bed Willow. I'll see you in the morning," and with that, she climbed into bed and shut her curtains.

Feeling hurt and rejected, Willow walked over to her trunk. She could hear the other girls snoring in their beds. She suddenly felt very sleepy for someone who had slept for a week. She popped open her trunk, and was amazed at what lay in it.

At the very top, there was a broomstick. For a broom, it was beautiful. It was made of deep mahogany wood, with the words _Nimbus Two-Thousand and One_ written in gold. After a moment, she set it aside and found a messenger bag that closely resembled the one she wore to school when she was ten. It was black, the front flap pierced with safety pins, the occasional tear and band patches. One of which was black, with the words _Electric Witch_ written in a vibrant shade of green. She picked it up, with difficulty. It was laden down with many, many books. Some big and leather-bound and some small and paperback. She also found quills, inkbottles, and rolls of parchment. In a hidden pocket, she found a long, think piece of wood. She recognized the wood as being from a willow tree, like the one in her front yard. She picked it up, and immediately felt a strange tingling run though her body.

"I guess witches really do use wands," she muttered to herself. She put the wand back, and dropped the bag next to the broomstick. She had uncovered clothing. And jewelry and other accessories. Everything from a black cut-up skirt, to a long, flowing, and multi-colored skirt, to a pyramid spike cuff, to big wooden bangles were nestled inside her trunk. It was amazing, insane. She could make any outfit she wanted with no effort. In the jumble of clothing and jewelry, she could find other things. An iPod, a bundle of letters, eyeliner in every color of the rainbow, five different lip glosses, a couple Muggle novels and a large collection of necklaces.

At the very bottom of it all in the far, right corner of the trunk, Willow found a hidden compartment. She opened it, and wanted to close it just as fast. Inside was a small collection of razors. Some were obviously unused; others were covered with brown blood. Willow found a sock, and scooped the razors into it. She went to the window next to her bed, opened it and dropped the entire bundle.

She went back to the trunk, tucked her bag and broom away and pulled off her shoes. She crawled into bed, snuggling up under the covers, grateful for Cedric Diggory, for her friends and for being alive.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters. They all belong to the highly talented J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter 3

Willow woke up the next morning to the sound of the other girls bustling around, getting ready for their day.

"C'mon Will. Time to get up," Hermione yelled.

Willow rose shakily from her bed, pulling back her curtains. She went to her trunk, took out her bag, and found a schedule. She pulled out the books she didn't need and found her bag to be much lighter. After taking out her broom and sticking it under her bed, she picked out some clothing to wear. She got back into bed, and closed the curtains. She changed into some plaid pants, covered in zippers leading to nowhere and black pockets, and a long-sleeved black skirt with thumbholes. After changing she found a heart-shaped necklace to wear. Then she found some black eyeliner and a mirror. It was then that Willow realized she didn't know what she looked like now. When she was younger she had long, untamable blonde hair, foggy blue eyes, and a face covered in freckles.

Anxiously she raised the mirror and looked. She was beautiful. Her hair had been cut short, to about ear-length, and the tips were died a deep, blood red. Her eyes were no longer so foggy, so dirty. They were a piercing, almost cold blue, the pupils a deep black. Her skin was clear, and pale. She had high, defined cheekbones and full lips.

"Are you going to stare at yourself all day, or did you consider coming down to breakfast?" Hermione asked, leaning against the doorjamb. Willow swiped on some eyeliner, dropped it and the mirror back into her trunk, and grabbed her bag.

"Don't forget your robes," Hermione said, turning around to go down the steps. Willow went back to her trunk, grabbed her black robes and followed Hermione to the common room. When she walked in, she could feel someone watching her. She turned and saw Ron staring at her with his mouth open. Willow smiled and Ron immediately started to blush. Giggling, Willow followed Hermione to where Ron was sitting with Harry and another boy.

"Willow, this is Seamus Finnigan," said Harry. Willow smiled at Seamus, and he nodded and returned to his work.

"Let's get some breakfast. I'm starved," said Harry, getting up and booking a roll pf parchment back in his bag. Willow was about to follow him, when she felt a tug on the robes that were still in her hand. She turned around and saw Ron smiling at her.

"Leave them in the common room. The teacher's aren't that strict about student wearing them, and besides…" Ron blushed. "…You look too good to wear them." Willow smiled and let Ron take her robes away.

"If I get into trouble, I'm blaming you," Willow warned him, a playful smile on her face.

"Yeah, yeah," he said pulling her out of the common room.

Willow and Ron caught up to Harry and Hormone on the fifth floor. As all four of them walked, Willow saw amazing things. The paintings were all moving around, talking to one another, and waving at her. The staircases would also move, and Ron warned her a couple of times about strange steps. Plenty of kids walked by, almost all of them waving and smiling to Willow. Obviously, she was well known. She hoped it was for a reason other then attempting suicide.

They soon reached the doors to what Ron called the Great Hall. Ron opened the door and held it open for her. When she walked inside, she was taken aback. Four long tables were crowded with hundreds of students. At the back of the room a table was raised higher then the rest, and only had a dozen or so occupants. Willow could just make out Dumbledore sitting in the middle. She looked up in amazement. The ceiling looked like the sky outside (slightly over-cast).

"The ceiling's bewitched to look like the sky outside," said Ron, leading Willow to the table on the far right. Plates upon plates were full of food. Ron, Harry and Hermione started to load up their plates, but oddly, Willow didn't feel hungry at all.

"Dig in, Will," said Harry through a mouth full of food.

"I don't feel hungry. In fact I feel a bit nauseous." Willow sighed.

"Just eat a little bit. Here," said Ron, offering Willow a biscuit. Willow took it and gingerly bit into it. It was warm and buttery. It was delicious and she soon finished it.

"There. That wasn't too bad," said Ron, smiling and returning to his food. Willow shook her head and filled her goblet with water.

"Bread and water? You're not in a prison. You know that right?" came a voice behind Willow. Ron and Harry stopped, forks halfway to their mouths.

"Buzz off Malfoy," Ron growled.

"I just wanted to say Hello. Hey Willow." Willow felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw a handsome young man. Very handsome. He had shaggy, platinum blond hair, and stormy gray eyes. He had a chiseled jaw, and wore a haughty sneer, but for a split second, Willow could have sworn she saw something compassionate in those eyes.

"Hi," Willow managed to squeak out, flashing him what she hoped would be a confident smile.

"There, you said Hello, now buzz off," Ron said. He was being very protective, and Willow couldn't understand why. Malfoy removed his hand, smiled at Willow and walked away.

"That's Draco Malfoy. He's a slime ball," said Harry, glaring at Draco. "You should stay away from him." Willow was upset by these words.

"I'll decide whom I should stay away from thank you very much," she said, and left the Great Hall. Willow had no idea where she was going, and within only a couple minutes, she was hopelessly lost. She leaned against a wall, hoping someone would be along soon, when she heard a voice.

"Willow! Wait up." It was Draco. Willow was strangely happy to see him. "What's wrong?" he asked, stopping in front of her. "I saw you storm out." Willow snorted.

"I'd hardly say I stormed out," she said, then smiled at Draco, letting him know she was playing. "But I left because Harry made me mad."

"How?" Willow thought she could see genuine concern on Draco's face. Some slime ball.

Willow stared at her feet. "He told me to stay away from you," she mumbled, suddenly realized how ridiculous it sounded. After a moment of silence, Willow looked up and saw Draco blushing. She started to giggle.

"What!" Draco said, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

"Nothing," Willow said, trying hard not to laugh. "Nothing at all." Draco smiled.

"What's your first class? I can escort you," Draco offered his arm. Willow smiled, and that's when she remembered that she had left her bag in the Great Hall. Just then, Ron and Harry turned the corner, Ron holding her bag. They stopped at the sight of Draco and Willow linking arms. Draco silently and quickly dropped his arm to his side.

"Thanks Ron," Willow said, stepping forward to take her bag. She was frowning; she had liked the feeling of Draco's arm in hers. "I was just about to come and get it." Harry and Ron were still glaring at Draco.

"C'mon Will. We're going to be late," said Ron, grabbing her arm.

"Take a hike Malfoy," said Harry, following.

"Whatever Potty. See you later, Willow," he said, winking at her.

"Yeah. See you." She smiled and let herself be pulled along by Ron.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the following story except Corey, Lydia and Billy. The rest belong to the highly talented J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter 4

Willow's first memorable day at Hogwarts was eventful at best, confusing at the most. Every class was hard, especially Transfiguration. Luckily Professor McGonagall was very understanding and worked hard with Willow. She quickly learned that History of Magic was the perfect class she could catch up on sleep, or pass notes in. Herbology was interesting, and Willow got so dirty by the end, Herbology was almost her favorite class. Charms was definitely her favorite. She was a natural at using her wand (according to Professor Flitwick) and she had learned five new spells by the end of class. She also noticed Seamus, the boy she had met in the common room earlier that morning, was blowing an awful lot of things up. By the time lunch rolled around, Willow felt very proud of the progress she had made. Maybe she would be just fine after losing her memory. She sat down between Harry and Hermione and was about to eat when she felt Harry tug on her sleeve.

"Can I have a word with you, Willow?" he asked. She dropped the piece of bread she was about to eat and followed him out of the Great Hall. They found an empty corridor and Harry leaned against the wall facing Willow.

"Why did you leave the Great Hall this morning?" he asked. Willow groaned.

"Because I felt like you were trying to control me; like you were feeding me a biased opinion of Draco. You didn't even give me a chance to get to know him. We see two different sides of Draco Malfoy. I see the blushing, smiling, concerned Draco, and you see the scowling, condescending, snobby one." Harry still looked unconvinced. "Did you know he came to see me when I was in my coma?" Harry looked shocked. "Dumbledore told me."

"Wow. I don't know what to say. Other than I'm sorry. I should have let you develop your own opinions on people," he said. Willow smiled, and they walked back to the Great Hall.

"Okay, next up, double Potions." Ron groaned. "Oh goody."

"Why? What' wrong?" Willow asked. Potion making sounded like a fun subject to learn.

"We have it with the Slytherin fourth years, and the teacher is head of their house. Plus he hates Gryffindors, and Harry." He glanced apologetically at Harry who looked like it didn't bother him so much anymore. "He hated your guts when you two were going out," he said to Willow.

"Oh." Willow, Harry and Ron had reached the dungeon Potions class was held in, and entered with an uneasy feeling in the pit of their stomach. They were the last to arrive, and the teacher made sure everyone knew it.

"Ah. Mr. Weasley, Mr. potter. So good of you to show up," said a greasy-haired, pale-faced man. He was dressed in billowing black robes and looked very unpleasant. "And Ms. Turner. You have joined us once more. I'm Professor Snape. You're fellow students will help blah blah blah. Now take a seat so I begin," he snapped. Willow got the feeling she would not like this teacher very much. Harry and Ron made their way to some empty seat by Hermione and a round-faced boy who looked very nervous. Willow made a move to follow them, but Snape spoke up. "Ms. Turner, you'll be sitting next to Mr. Malfoy for today's class," he said pointing to the empty chair next to Draco, who's facial expression did little to hide his happiness. Willow shrugged to Ron and Harry (who looked furious) and took the seat by Draco, pretty happy herself.

"Nice to see you again," Draco whispered in her ear as class began.

"Same to you," said Willow pulling out her book. Willow's first Potions class went better then she could have hoped. Draco helped her every step of the way, and by the end, their potion was the best. When class was dismissed, Willow forgot about Ron and Harry and walked out with Draco. They wandered outside, having the rest of the afternoon free, and sat on the shore of the lake. They were all alone, and the weather was chilly by not cold.

"So, you really can't remember anything?" he asked her, staring out into the deep blue surface of the lake.

"Yes. Except for a few random things, it's all gone." She moved closer to Draco. "I wanted to thank you for visiting me when I was in my coma, Draco." He smiled.

"You're the only one in this school who truly gets me. The very first time I insulted you, you looked me in the eyes and said 'I know you don't mean that' and walked away. I visited you every chance I got without running into Potty, the Weasel or that Mudblood."

"That what?"

Draco looked at Willow, his eyes flashing with alarm. "I mean…that is. Oh never mind," he said, hanging his head and moving away from Willow.

"Wait. Did you just insult Hermione?"

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Willow moved closer. "Look, just don't do it again, okay? I think you're cool, but they're my friends too, so try and be nice." Draco didn't move. "For me?" Willow touched Draco's hand. He looked up and their eyes met. It was as if everything in the world had stopped and they were all alone. Willow moved forward. She wanted to kiss Draco, to feel his arms around her.

And it was that exact moment another headache struck Willow. It hurt just as much as the first. It felt like her entire head was on fire. It was also accompanied with more pictures, blurs on memory. She saw gray eyes, the same she had just been staring in to. She felt his strong hands and his soft, warm lips. And then his entire face flooded into view, and his voice filled her head, splitting her eardrums. "Willow. Willow. Willow."

There was so much pain, and suddenly, it stopped. But Draco's voice was still ringing.

"Willow! Willow! Are you okay?" Willow opened her eyes. Draco was crouched above her, his face contorted into a look of raw fear. Willow realized she was curled up on the ground. Before she could move an inch however, Draco was on his back, wrestling with a redheaded boy Willow recognized immediately as Ron.

"What'd you do to her, Malfoy? Ron was shouting. Willow sprang up from the ground.

"Ron, relax! Get off of him!" Willow managed to pull Ron off of Draco, dropping to her knees beside him. Ron had given him a hard punch to the eye.

"Ron, what the hell is wrong with you?" Willow shouted, helping Draco to his feet.

"He did something to you Will! You were curled up on the ground, screaming." Ron was panting, balling his hands into threatening fists.

"I'll see you back in the common room, Ron. Let's go Draco," said Willow, turning her back to Ron, with her arm around Draco.

A few minutes later, Willow and Draco stood outside the hidden entrance of the Slytherin common room. Draco said the password and the wall split open.

"Are you going to be okay?" He nodded, touching his eye gingerly. "Draco?" he looked up. "Did we ever date?" Draco shuffled his feet uneasily. After a moment or so, he answered.

"We never officially dated. About half way through your third year, you came to me crying. We stayed up all night talking, and then I kissed you. One thing led to another, and you left happier then when you came." He glanced up.

"Oh," Willow said, blushing.

"I have to go," he said, and stepped through the hole in the wall.

"Draco, wait…" Willow started before the wall slammed shut. Five minutes of wandering brought Willow back to the painting of the Pink Lady.

"Pixie dust," said Willow, repeating the password Ron had given her earlier in the day.

"Willow!" Ron jumped off the couch and walked over to her.

"Leave me alone Ron. You attacked Draco for no reason." Willow was still very mad, and it hadn't helped that Draco ran from her.

"I only did what I did because he hurt you."

"He wasn't hurting me Ron!" Willow rounded on him.

"Then why were you curled in a little ball, screaming bloody murder?"

"Because…" Willow faltered. She hadn't told anyone about her headaches, but she figured it was about time to start. She explained it all to them. About the pictures, about the excruciating pain, everything. Except she left out the part about Draco. When she finished, they sat, staring into the fire, no one knowing quite what to say.

"Wow," said Harry.

"Ouch," said Ron.

"And you don't know anything more about them? What causes them?" asked Hermione.

"All I know is they show me memories and I definitely know they didn't happen before I came to Hogwarts."

"Well I don't know about you ever mentioning having headaches before now," said Harry.

"Maybe we should go to Dumbledore. He might know what they are," Hermione suggested.

"Good idea," said Willow. They left the common room and Harry led them to a gargoyle statue he said was the entrance.

"Oh wait. I don't know the password," said Harry, turning to them.

"May I be of some assistance?" Willow recognized Dumbledore's voice from behind her. She turned around. Dumbledore was wearing light blue robes and a matching pointed hat.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir. Willow's having these headaches," said Hermione, stepping forward.

Oh. Do explain," said Professor Dumbledore, sitting on the floor.

"Well, I'm having these random headaches. They hurt a lot, like fire. They usually show me some pictures, or sensations from my past that I can't remember. They come as quickly as they go, and my head doesn't hurt at all afterward."

"And they only started after you…err…fell?" Dumbledore asked, his chin resting on his fingers. Willow nodded.

"Sir, if I may?" Harry stepped forward. "My scar burns the same way. Not as badly as how Willow describes it, but isn't it magical. Maybe someone put a spell on her." The group waited anxiously for Dumbledore while he mused.

"If I may speak to Ms. Turner in private. The rest of you may go, I'm sure she can find her way back to the Great Hall." He stood up. Harry, Ron and Hermione all nodded and set off. Dumbledore led her up to his office. Willow's stomach churned unpleasantly.

"Have a seat, Ms. Turner," he said, gesturing to the chair in front a large desk. Willow sat. "I believe Mr. Potter was correct in his assumption that someone put a spell on you. A memory charm to be exact. Why? I do not know. This is why you're head so badly. The magic does not want you to remember, but your brain is stronger. Either the spell caster was weak, or –" he paused, looking out the window. Willow glanced over. The sun was setting and the sky had turned ruby red. "Or you are a truly great witch. Like your mother. For it would take a very strong witch, of both magical ability and will power to be able to reverse a memory charm."

"So someone did this to me?" Willow was flabbergasted. Why on earth would someone want her to forget something? And what on earth could be so great that they were willing to push her out a window to prevent her telling anyone.

"Yes. To be honest, I realized what happened after your little episode in the hospital wing," said Dumbledore. But Willow wasn't listening anymore. She had become enthralled with the sky outside. It was gorgeous, and brought back a familiar saying from her past.

"Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailor's delight," she mumbled. She had no idea what it meant, or how it was important, or if it was even important, but she felt comfort in these simple words.

"Ah you remember," said Dumbledore, breaking Willow of her trance. "You're father was a sailor. He must have taught you that."

"I thought he was an actor."

"He was a sailor first. But your mother pressed him into being an actor at the local playhouse when you were born. She thought it was to dangerous to be out to sea and away from you for so long." Willow felt a pang in her heart. She remembered her parents from her past. She could remember the smell of salt, and seeing her father's name in lights. She remembered her mother's mixed scent of fabric softener and perfume. She remembered the dress that her mother always wore to opening nights, a beautiful deep red. She felt tears sting her eyes, realizing she wouldn't be able to see her parents again. Ever.

"I'm sorry I upset you, Ms. Turner. You should go down to dinner now. I'd say you look rather ravished." Willow wiped her tears away quickly, and left the office.

Ten minutes later she was sandwiched between the Weasley twins, trying to ignore Draco ignoring her from across the room. Her plate was loaded with chicken, rolls and mashed potatoes. She could hardly wait for desert. She wanted to see what this school did with treacle fudge.

"So Willow, what did Dumbledore say?" asked Harry, across the table from her. At these words, Ron and Hermione also looked up.

Willow swallowed her mouthful of food and said, "I'll tell you later. It's…interesting." She could feel Fred and George's sideways glances burning holes in the top of her head, but she stayed interested in her food.

After dessert she was stuffed. "I shouldn't've eaten so much," she groaned. Ron laughed. She glared at him, but smiled.

"WILLOW!" Someone screeched her name from across the entrance hall. Whipping around (bad idea), Willow saw a girl running toward her. She had short, short black hair, longer in the front then the back, and warm brown eyes, which were heavily laden with eyeliner and mascara. On her lips she wore ruby red lipstick, which went well with her pale skin. She looked like a porcelain doll from the future. She jumped on Willow, almost knocking her backward with the biggest bear hug she had ever gotten. "Goodness gracious girl, I was getting worried abut you. Sorry about not visiting ya. Corey kept me away." She fell into a fit of giggles.

"Talkin' 'bout me behind my back, Lydia?" said a boy who walked up behind her. He was tall, but muscular with bushy brown hair and dark brown eyes. He put his arm around the girl and smiled at Willow. "Good to have you back Will. We can start practice soon."

Ron stepped forward. "Corey, she just got out of the infirmary. Give her some time." Corey nodded, and everything went black. Someone had put their hands over Willow's eyes.

"Guess who," came a deep voice. Willow smiled. The hands parted and she whirled around. The boy behind her was about her height, with black hair like Harry's and amber colored eyes. He had a big smile, and was obviously glad to see Willow.

"Billy, I take it?" Willow was smart. She had caught on that these new strangers were her fellow band mates. He nodded swiftly and looked over her head to Carey and Lydia.

"I think Ron's right. We'll give he some time to do work in her classes. Then we'll see what she can remember." He winked at Willow and the three of them walked away.

"How come I haven't met them yet?" Willow asked, linking arms with Hermione.

"Corey and Lydia are in Ravenclaw and Billy's in Hufflepuff," Hermione explained. Willow nodded. It was fun to meet them. They seemed like a playful group and Willow was glad to call them her friends. Willow and the other three stayed up in the common room for about an hour, talking, but Willow's eyelids kept protesting.

"I think I'm going to hit the sack. See you in the morning." Willow yawned and went to her dormitory. She changed into a tank top and some boxers she found and fell asleep.

Hours later, she woke up with a start. Her dream had been vivid, and an obvious continuation of the headache that previous afternoon. Willow couldn't help but smile. She was beginning to fancy Draco.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters except for Lydia, Corey and Billy. The rest belong to the highly talented J.K. Rowling.**

Chapter 5

The rest of the week for Willow went smoothly. She was making progress in all her classes; bonded with her band mates, classmates, and best friends/ She noticed things, like Billy's graceful way of walking and Lydia's American accent. She also noticed Hermione's attitude change and how Harry seemed to make up excuses to be near Willow. She was starting to wish she could remember why they had broken up.  
The Saturday after Willow woke up, Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house, came to the tower to ask who was signing up to stay over the Christmas holidays. Willow had a pleasant surprise when the Weasleys and Hermione and Harry chose to stay with her.  
"Miss Turner, may I speak to you for a moment," said Professor McGonagall, motioning for Willow to follow her after she was done taking down all the names. Willow exchanged nervous glances with Ron and followed her out the portrait hole.  
"I must applaud you, Willow, for coming along in your classes as you have," Professor McGonagall said once they were alone, dropping all the formal pretenses. "You really have done an excellent job, but you are lagging far behind your classmates. The rest of your teachers and I have gotten together with Professor Dumbledore, and we have decided." She paused. Willow sensed dread. "We have decided that in two weeks time, at the end of the Christmas holidays, you will take an exam. It will be a medley of the past three end-of-the-year exams. Something to show us how well you would do with your fellow fourth years. If you fail the test, you will, unfortunately, be put in the classes with the first years"  
"Excuse me? I can't do that." Willow felt like someone had punched her in the stomach.  
"Two weeks time, Miss Turner. You can do it," said McGonagall, patting Willow on the shoulder before striding off in the direction of her office. Willow stalked back into the common room.  
"What happened?" said Ron, noticing Willow's clenched fists and hunched shoulders.  
"Oh nothing. McGonagall just told me I have two weeks to learn three years worth of things," said Willow, sinking into the couch, tears stinging her eyes.  
"What!" Harry jumped up and came to Willow.  
"I have the next two weeks to study. Then the teachers are going to give me an exam. If I fail, I get booted down with the first years," Willow said, tears now sliding down her cheeks. Hermione gasped. Willow glanced up. Ron was standing in front of her, his face steely, his fists curled up. He was staring out the tower window, unblinking.  
"Ron?" At the sound of Willow's voice, Ron seemed to snap out of his trance.  
"Well. We better get started," he said. He ran up the dorm stairs. Harry, Hermione and Willow looked at each other all wondering what in the world was going on. Ron returned a few minutes later, his arms bulging with books.  
"You kept those?" Harry looked shocked.  
"I wrote home for them. I figured we may need them for a situation just like this," said Ron, dumping the books on the table next to the fire. He turned around and kneeled next to Willow, and put his hand on hers. "I can't let you graduate so late." Willow beamed at him, wiping away her tears. "Let's start with this one," he said, handing her a small, leather-bound book. Willow smiled appreciatively and began to read.

A week later, Willow was so sick of studying magic she was about ready to walk out. She was studying day and night carrying extra books around in her backpack so she read anytime she had free time. She got very little sleep, but when she did manage to doze off, she had dreams about her past, which she enjoyed much more then the headaches. She could remember some studies form her first year, which helped a lot. Between Ron and Hermione, Willow had many books that she could gather information from.  
Most of the students in the Gryffindor house had left for the holidays, so they had the tower to themselves. Since they had no classes, Ron and Hermione tried to bully Willow into studying all day, but with some help from Harry, she managed to make them let her go outside. It was freezing cold, and the lake had frozen over, Willow skated out onto the surface, dragging Ron and Harry along with her. She fell down, and Harry landed on top of her. He blushed, but made no move to get up.  
"Uh Harry? I can't feel my legs," she said, pushing him off. Harry laughed nervously and got up. Ron was standing over her, scowling. He reached down to give her a hand at the same time as Harry. Willow hesitated, and then grabbed both hands. Ron pulled harder, and Willow ended up pressed against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her defensively. Willow looked over his shoulder and saw Hermione looking very nervous.  
"Whatever," she heard Harry mutter bitterly. Ron loosened his grip on Willow and she turned to see Harry try and make his way to shore with his dignity still in tact. He eventually managed, and once he reached hard ground, he stormed off toward the castle. Hermione followed him. Willow looked up at Ron, silently questioning him, but he dodged her eyes.  
"Let's go," he said and grabbed her wrist and pulled her up to the hill to the castle.  
When they got to the common room, Hermione told them that Harry had locked himself in his dormitory.  
"He won't come out and he won't let me in," she said, twisting a lock of hair around her finger.  
"Maybe I should try," Willow said, before she could stop herself. Ron frowned, but Hermione looked hopeful.  
"Oh, Will. That'd be great," she said and led her to Harry's dorm. "Harry?" she said, knocking. "It's Willow. She wants to talk to you." Willow and Hermione waited with bated breath. They heard the lock click. Hermione gave Willow a thumb's up and traipsed back down the steps.  
"Harry?" Willow said entering the dim dormitory cautiously. "Are you okay"  
"No," came a voice to Willow's right. She jumped. Harry immerged from the shadows, red-faced. "I still like you Will. A lot. As much as the day I asked you out. And Ron knows it. And he's just taking your amnesia as an excuse to move in on you." He pushed Willow up against the door. "But I love you, Willow. More then you will ever know." He was close. Too close. His breath was hot on Willow's cheek. His hands were holding her shoulders. She felt like a trapped animal. Harry was stronger then her and he had the advantage.  
"Harry…" she said, pushing against him. "Harry I'm sorry. I just don't feel that way about you." He let her go, and turned from her, She touched his shoulder, but he jumped from her, as if her touch burned him,  
"Go Willow," he said, pointing to the door. Willow flinched.  
"Please Harry. Don't," she said.  
"GO!" Harry roared. Willow jumped and opened the door. It snapped shut behind her, leaving her alone on the threshold. She walked somberly back to the common room.  
"How'd it go? Oh…" Hermione said, as soon as she caught sight of Willow's ashen face and disarrayed coat.  
"I don't think Harry will be talking to us anytime soon. Please pass me The Standard Book of Spells: Grade Three.

Christmas morning, Willow sprang from bed, excited. Though she expected no gifts, she was happy it was Christmas. She had convinced Harry and Hermione to let her get off studying for the day. She could also remember how delicious the Christmas feast was from her third year.  
"Hermione! Wakey wakey!" she said, parting Hermione's curtains. Hermione rolled over, her hair plastered to her face.  
"Hmm? Oh, yes. Merry Christmas, and all that," she said and rolled back over. Willow smiled and went to the end of her bed. She was very surprised to see a small pile of presents, but she moved them aside. She wanted to pick the perfect Christmas day outfit. She chose red corduroy jeans, a black tank top and a green sweatshirt. She pulled out black boots to wear later, and returned to her gifts.  
At the very top, Ron's mother, Mrs. Weasley, had sent her a pair of hand-knitted, fingerless black gloves and a box of mini brownies. They were homemade and very delicious. The card was from both Weasley parents and wished her a Merry Christmas and hoped she was getting better. Underneath that was a present from Lydia (earrings and a cute top), one from Corey (a box of Fizzing Whizzbees, three sugar quills and a note), one from Billy (a beautifully handmade guitar pick and a note) and at the very bottom, was a parcel from the groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid.  
Willow had only met Hagrid once since she came out of her coma. The experience had been interesting. Hagrid was a kind-hearted man, with a strange outlook on large, dangerous animals and who had no idea how to bake. Just the same, he treated Willow like his own daughter, and she bonded with him instantly.  
Willow ripped open the parcel. Inside was a beautifully painted china doll. It was gorgeous and fragile. Willow read the card.

Will,  
I saw a tradesman with this and immediately thought of you. It was worth a pretty penny, but you're worth it.

Merry Christmas,  
Hagrid.

Willow was touched and out the doll delicately on her night stand. By this time, Hermione was up and had gotten dressed. She ignored her own presents and turned to Willow.  
"Let's go see if Harry will talk to us or not," she said. Willow followed her out the door and down the steps. When they reached the common room, they were shocked. Ron and Harry sat in front of the fire, surrounded by a large pile of discarded wrapping paper and empty boxes. They were joking and happily munching on the same brownies Willow had received.  
"Hey guys!" said Ron, spotting them and waving.  
"Hey," said Willow, She grabbed Hermione and steered her toward the fire. "Merry Christmas"  
"Same to you," said Ron.  
"Hey, Will? Can I talk to you over here for a second?" said Harry, looking apprehensive.  
"Sure," she said and followed him to a far corner of the common room.  
"What's up?" she said. Willow was glad Harry was talking to her again.  
"Listen, I wanted to apologize for last Saturday. I was just being jealous and stupid for no reason. I'm really sorry for yelling at you. Also, I got you a present," he said, pulling a box out from behind his back. Willow grabbed it and excitedly ripped it open. Inside was a necklace. It was a teardrop shaped black stone, hanging on a silver chain, nestled in red velvet. Willow's breath caught in her chest.  
'Oh Harry. It's so gorgeous. This must have cost a fortune." She was amazed.  
"The stone is real onyx. I found it in a Muggle shop, and my godfather lent me some extra money to buy it for you." He smiled, waiting for approval.  
"I love it," Willow said. She took it out of the box and let Harry clasp it around her neck. They walked back to the fireside, bantering animatedly. Willow seated herself next to Ron and gave him a bear hug. His ears turned red.  
"Uhm, Willow? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Willow giggled and followed Ron to the same place she had stood with Harry moments before.  
"A month ago, before you jumped, you told me not to get you a present. But I could see in your eyes you really wanted me to. So I got you this," he said, bringing an even smaller box then the one Harry had out of his pants pocket. It was wooden, painted green --- Willow's favorite color --- with a golden clasp on the front. Willow opened it. Inside, nestled in black velvet, was a sapphire ring. The stone was flanked by two diamond rhinestones, which were twinkling merrily.  
"It's not real sapphire. I can't afford something like that," he paused, glancing at Harry's ring. Willow stopped him. It's gorgeous Ron. Thank you so much." She took the ring out and put it on her right hand. Ron turned pink, but was beaming. Willow snapped the box shut, gave Ron a kiss on the cheek and ran up the stairs. She placed the box on her nightstand and pulled on her boots and gloves. She stopped to look in the mirror by the door. She straightened her hair and squeezed her eyes shut, smudging her eyeliner. Before she started down the stairs, she paused and tucked her necklace into her shirt. She wasn't sure why, but it felt right.  
When she got back to the common room, Hermione, Ron and Harry were having a paper fight. They stopped when they heard Willow laugh.  
"Come on losers. I wanna go outside and have some fun." She smiled, zipped up her hoodie and ran out of the portrait hole. She heard them running behind her. She was near the entrance hall, when she rounded a corner and ran right into somebody, knocking her backwards. She looked up and saw Fred and George grinning down at her. They gave her a hand up.  
"Who're you running from?" said Fred, jumping forward and rolling his sleeves up in mock bravery. Willow giggled.  
"Harry, Ron and Hermione. I'm racing them to the grounds." At that moment, Willow heard footsteps behind her. "Come on!" She grabbed Fred and George's hands and ran with them Soon Harry, Ron and Hermione caught up to them outside and the six of them spent the afternoon plating in the snow. They came in around dinner, pink-faced and giggling. They went into the Great Hall, and were immediately warmed up. A long table had been set up. The teachers and a few other students were already sitting down, waiting for them. Willow was immensely happy to see Draco at the end of the table. She tried to get his attention, but he was deep in conversation with Crabbe and Goyle, his flunkies.  
The Christmas feast was the best had ever had and when she left the hall, belly full, tucked between the Weasley twins, she could not have been happier.  
"Hey Willow!" Willow turned around and saw Draco running up to her. Her heart did several summer salts. It was the first time Draco had spoken to her in over two weeks. Willow motioned for Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys to go on without her, and turned her attention to Draco.  
"I'm sorry I haven't been talking to you, Willow. I've been embarrassed. I don't know, but I couldn't face you," he said. His eyes were apologetic and Willow believed him. She also noticed he was in disarray. His hair was messy and uncombed, his tie hung loosely from his neck, and one shoe was untied. "Anyway, I really wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and give you this." He pulled a bracelet out of his pocket. It was made of red thread, and strung with small jingle bells, each of which had a heart painted on it. Willow's heart swelled and her eyes were full of tears. Draco had the most money out Harry, Ron and him, and his present was the only gift handmade. Willow took it and carefully placed it on her wrist. She took off the necklace and ring and dropped them into her pocket.  
"It's the best present I've ever gotten, Draco. Thank you so much," she said, throwing her arms around his neck. A second later, he grabbed her waist.  
"Willow, will you be my girlfriend?" he whispered in her ear. Willow looked him in the eye. He smiled weakly, his eyes sparkling with passion.  
"Yes Draco Malfoy. I will," she said and kissed him.


End file.
